we had a meeting with harry reid and speaker john boehner. the executive board message was as you are dealing with tough decisions that have to be made, to make sure that we don't over the fiscal cliff, don't shift the burden downward. we understand that there is a shared sacrifice. we ask for flexibility when it comes to programs that are funded by the federal government and federal monies. we need flex ability to be able to determine what is in the best interest of our state. how we can best serve the population. gerri: the truth is the states only have so much flex ability because you have to meet your budget. the federal government doesn't. but i want to show who is in washington. it was scott walker, gary herbert, mark dayton, jack markell. all the leadership of the governors association. what kind of response did you get? we are not passing anything onto you guys. >> the president was very cordial and respectful to the governors. and we believe that we have a stake in this process, and he felt like we could offer some ideas of ways that